Trump-backed Andy Ogles loses reelection bid and other Tennessee primary results
Trump-backed Andy Ogles loses reelection bid and other Tennessee primary results
Former Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher will defeat conservative firebrand Rep. Andy Ogles in the Republican primary in the state’s newly redrawn 5th District, CNN’s Decision Desk projects, in the latest loss for a Trump-backed candidate.
Hatcher will face Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder, who CNN projects will win the Democratic primary, in November.
It’s one of several key races on the ballot in Tennessee Thursday, as voters cast their first ballots under a new Republican-drawn congressional map aimed at delivering the GOP a clean sweep of the state’s nine districts.
Trump saw some success in the redrawn 9th District, where his chosen candidate, GOP state Sen. Brent Taylor, will take on Democratic state Rep. Justin Pearson, after Republican lawmakers pushed through a new congressional map earlier this year that split the current Memphis-based seat into three separate districts that favor the GOP.
Thursday’s primaries also set the general election matchup in the race for governor in deep-red Tennessee, although Trump stayed on the sidelines of the Republican contest. CNN projects that GOP Sen. Marsha Blackburn will face Democratic Memphis City Councilmember Jerri Green in the fall – a guarantee that Tennessee’s next governor will be the first woman to hold the role.
See the results below:
Another Trump-backed candidate loses
Hatcher has promised to support Trump if elected, but his win is still an unexpected blow to the president.
Ogles, a member of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, is a staunch Trump ally but has frequently been at the center of controversy during his time in Congress.
Most recently, Republican and Democratic lawmakers in June condemned a now-deleted post on Ogles’ X account that said, “Homosexuality has no place in America,” which the congressman blamed on a staffer.
But Ogles has stood by similar remarks declaring what the country should look like, writing in March on X that “Muslims don’t belong in American society.”
He has also been the subject of a congressional ethics inquiry into whether he violated campaign finance laws.
Hatcher, however, was bolstered by his strong political ties in the state – including an endorsement from GOP Gov. Bill Lee in the final days of the primary.
A fifth-generation dairy farmer, Hatcher pledges to work to support farmers, protect American food security, reduce energy costs and improve public infrastructure if elected in November.
While the president’s endorsement has proven decisive in many Republican primaries this year, he’s also seen some notable defeats. In governor’s races in Iowa and Georgia, Randy Feenstra and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones fell short in their bids, while Trump issued a dual endorsement in South Carolina after his initial pick, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, failed to avoid a runoff and ultimately lost.
Ogles’ defeat just comes days after Michigan Republicans spurned the president’s recommendation in a House race – backing Tom Smith, a little known candidate who dropped out of the primary in July, over Trump-backed Amir Hassan.
Since it was redrawn in May amid a wave of mid-cycle redistricting, Tennessee’s 5th District takes on a long, skinny shape snaking up from Memphis to the Kentucky border and down again to part of Williamson County. It includes parts of 17 counties.
The new district lines are more advantageous to Republicans, giving Hatcher an edge heading into November.
Ogles’ loss complicates Democrats’ path
Heading into Thursday, Democrats were hopeful that a favorable national political environment along with a strong potential candidate in Molder and a series of controversies swirling around Ogles could potentially put the seat in play. Hatcher’s win may change those calculations.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee offered early support to Molder, who was was first elected mayor in 2018 when he defeated a two-term incumbent Republican, including him in its “Red to Blue” program for
While redistricting upended the race this spring, Molder decided to continue his run, centering his campaign on issues like lowering the cost of living, expanding healthcare access and making housing more affordable. He defeated four other candidates to secure the Democratic nomination. Molder far out-raised other candidates in both parties vying for the 5th District, bringing in $2.6 million by mid-July, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
The 9th District race serves as a case study in mid-decade redistricting and how quickly it can transform electoral dynamics.
As part of a national wave of partisan redistricting kicked off by Texas Republicans last summer, GOP state lawmakers approved a new congressional map in May, breaking up the Black-majority district centered on Memphis, the state’s lone Democratic seat, to favor Republicans. The move prompted US Rep.
Steve Cohen, who has held the seat for nearly 20 years, to announce he would not seek reelection.
Pearson, who defeated state Sen. London Lamar in the primary, gained national prominence in 2023 as one of three Tennessee lawmakers who Republicans in the state legislature moved to expel following a gun control protest. He was expelled from the legislature but ultimately reinstated.
By CNN